The American Beer Festival

This is a short non fiction story I wrote after attending a beer festival, it is designed to be a quest essay about the american culture and identity.

My family is German. We’re mostly Mexican now, but we still have German blood. Even if the last time a member of the family lived in Germany was in the early 20th century, we take pride in just how German we are. We eat sauerkraut, we consider anyone that comes from Germany to be our cousin, and we like to drink. The most un-German thing about my family is our drinking choices. My aunts drink wine, my cousins drink rum and whisky, and my dad and uncles drink cheap beer. I am proud of my German blood and just like my grandfather and his father before him, I drink beer. I’ll admit that that until my 15th birthday all I knew about beer was that it got you drunk and that as a German I was supposed to love it. At that age everything I had learned about beer was from watching my dad and uncles drinking on Sunday nights. They all drank beer from aluminum cans and would always complain about their beer getting too warm or stale. I wasn’t aware that beer could actually be tasteful when warm and that it ranged in color from dark nearly black brown to a light pastel-like yellow. I want to drink beer because I am German. I don’t care what kind of beer it is I just want to drink so that I can be like my grandfather.

***

On the 13th of October the city of Forth Worth hosted their 7th annual BeerFeast. Since the festival first started 7 years ago a local bar in Fort Worth called The Flying Saucer has been sponsoring the event. This year they had over 40 different breweries and more than 60 craft beers.

The day of the event I woke up earlier than usual, I had a breakfast larger and fattier than any man should eat on a single sitting. I didn’t want to risk getting a headache or even worse getting drunk. The night before BeerFeast my parents and I had decided that that it would be best if they drove me to the event. I hoped that 12 pint (16oz) size glasses of high quality beer would be more than enough to get me drunk.

When we arrived at Sundance square in the heart of downtown Fort Worth I noticed that not as many streets had been closed off for the event. Only part Commerce Street in-between Second Street and Third Street across from the outdoor patio of the Flying Saucer had been closed off.

“Are you a VIP?” asked a tall brunette that wore an orange tank as I approached the entrance to the patio where the event was being held.

“No, those were too expensive,” I told her as a 6 foot 3 solid wall of muscle walked towards.

“General admission starts at 1 pm,” she said handing me back my ticket. “But feel free to wait in the bar our fire-sale today is Rahr’s Blond.”

I folded my ticked and placed it in the front pocket of my shirt before I walked through the old and heavy oak doors with brass handles that led into the bar. As I was having a Rahr Ugly Pug while I waited for BeerFeast to start while watching the University of Texas vs. Oklahoma University football game. The roof of the Flying Saucer was covered with plates with different names, each saucer a trophy for those who had completed the requirements of the Saucer Club (Tasting at least once every beer that the Flying saucer has to offer, with a limit of 3 per night).

***

Once again I handed my ticket in to the tall brunet in an orange tank with the words “Goddess of the Feast” written in glittery letters across the chest. As I walked through the gate a blond girl wearing a purple Goddess tank handed me a small glass barely larger than a shot glass. It was just big enough to for 3oz of beer.

“This is your beer card,” said another girl handing me a long orange and purple card with the list of beers one side and twelve stars on the other. “You get to sample 12 different beers, and they are listed in the back of the card in alphabetical order.”

It was barely past 1in the afternoon and the place was almost empty except for a few couples, some families, and small groups of people hanging out underneath the canopy covering the patio area outside the bar. Some people were smoking near the main beer tent, there was an old man playing chess by him while reading a book. They were sitting on old wooden benches. I walked across the patio past the trees with Spaten and Paulander (this are two of the largest breweries in Munich) banners.  Towards the stage and stood near one of the high tables with blue plastic water proof coverings placed in front of the stage.

Around two in the afternoon people started gathering to the right of the stage. The line was divided between those who paid $65 for a VIP pass on the left and those with the $30 general admission ticket on the right. The attendants began to announce the tapping of the first rare beer keg. One of the men behind the counter took a bullhorn and announced the beer while another server hung a sign that said Mysterium Verum Shipwrecked from the Real Ale Brewing Company.

“This Beer was aged in old Jameson Whiskey barrels,” announced one of the men behind the bar next to the stage.

I walked up to the stage and handed in my beer card and tasting glass to one of the Goddesses. She carefully poured beer into my glass from a cooler where keg was being kept. Before she returned my card she took out a thick black sharpie and colored in the first star in my card. This dark ale had a light dark brown color with a cream looking foam (or head). It had a slightly fruity caramel taste with a very noticeable taste of whisky.  I took my time tasting this rare beer, my grandfather had thought me that just like with a fine wine a beer should be smelled and then tasted in small amounts to get the full range of complex flavors that beers have. I did not get to spend much time with my grandfather but he did teach me how to drink like a true German.  He thought me how a good Hefeweizen should taste and the difference between a Stout and a Porter. I learned that beers can be paired with food just like any wine and that some beers are good for breakfast while others are good as an after dinner treat. He thought me the difference between a macro-brewery and a microbrewery. He preferred craft beers produced by microbreweries instead of the beers of the macro-brewers. Whenever we talked about beer he would tell me about the Munich Oktoberfest. Since 1810 the city of Munich in Bavaria, Germany had been holding a yearly festival to celebrate all things beer. In modern times Oktoberfest has turned into one of the largest festivals in the world attracting nearly 6 million people every year and serving over 7 million liters of beer. The festival will start at the end of September and last until the first week of October, at the same time cities all over the United States will host Munich style beer festivals. Each festival is set up in a similar way to Oktoberfest and will feature beers from all around the world.

“Are you in the saucer club?” asked me a short and stout man while we waited in line at the beer tent.

“Well I wanted to join last week but I don’t have the money right now,” I told him as I handed my glass and card to one of the goddesses underneath the main tent. “I’ll try the Whole Hog Pumpkin (Stevens Point Brewing)” I told the Goddess standing behind a white plastic foldout table.

“Hey, let me know how that one is” asked the man that was standing next to me.

“I will, just come find me by the food tent,” I told him as I walked towards the food tent.

At the food tent they were offering pulled pork sandwiches ($7 and BBQ is not German), bratwurst on a bun with sauerkraut and onions ($7), soft pretzels ($5), and hard pretzel necklace ($2 the pretzels were about the size of a smart phone).  After I got a brat on a bun I tasted the pumpkin ale. I had tasted many pumpkin ales before The Hog but this is the first one that belongs on the fall menu of the Starbucks Coffee Company right next to their pumpkin spice latte. The full pumpkin flavor with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves was perfectly matched with the Bratwurst on a bun topped with sauerkraut and caramelized onions that I had bought for lunch. It had a nice pumpkin orange color with barely any foam; this was the only beer that I tasted twice.

As I was finishing up my lunch a bell started ringing next to the stage, letting everyone know the 3pm rare beer was about to be served. The entire patio area was now filled with people, all of the wooden benches were taken, and people were excitingly standing in line waiting for the revealing of the next rare beer.

“This next beer is an oak-aged English ale,” yelled out one of the servers through a bullhorn.  “From the Demons of Ale series, please welcome the dark angel Samael.”

Samael’s Oak Aged Ale (Avery Brewing Company the Demons of Ale series) was the only beer in the entire afternoon that had a strong taste of alcohol. The cooper colored and cream headed beer was strong with an alcohol content of 17%. The beer was surprising smooth with a sweet vanilla taste and a slightly bitter aftertaste. The Avery Brewing Company from Boulder, Colorado was very well represented at the Fort Worth BeerFeast. They had a grand total of 4 beers (Samael’s Oak Aged Ale, Salvation Belgian Golden Ale, The Reverend Quadrupel, and The Beast Grand Cru Ale) two of those were rare beers, and they were all very well crafted and extremely good tasting American beers.

“Hey was Whole Hog Pumpkin?” asked the short man I had talked to earlier.

“It was pretty good, you should try it with a brat on a bun great taste pairing.”

“Dude, you should try the Mole Stout, it’s really good if you’re into dark beers.”

“I know, I had that one earlier, but the spicy chile taste was a bit too strong for me,” I told him as we walked towards the main entrance so we could buy a new beer card. “If you like stouts you should try the SantaFe Brewing Co Java Stout, I’ve had it before and the coffee taste makes it a great breakfast beer.”

“Nice, I’ll definitely have to try that one next,” he said as he handed the tall brunette at the entrance $6 for the new beer card.  “I’ll also take one of those $4 lanyards.”

“What are those for?” I asked him while the attendant handed him an orange lanyard with a white plastic ring at the end.

“This is so that I that I don’t drop the glass,” he said. “Those beers are getting to me,” he said as he started walking away.

“All right man I’ll be seeing you around,” I said as he walked back towards the beer tent.

I had always wanted to attend an Oktoberfest style festival, just to get away from the regular beer drinkers that pollute bars and surround myself with other beer-o-philes. For the past couple of years I have been a fan of the Flying Saucer, this English pub style American bar has always provided a friendly environment for beer lovers with over 200 different kinds’ beers. Every time visited this bar I had learned something new about beer. On Wednesdays during the special brew nights that come with a collectible glass ($10 for the glass and the first beer) I feel as if I am back with my grandfather learning about the different grains that are used to brew beer. Talking to other beer lovers I was able to once again capture that feeling of being back in my grandfather’s room listening as he poured an imperial stout into a pint glass.

***

Towards the end of the event after the 6pm releasing of the The Beast the last of the rare beers to be tapped, this was another strong tasting beer though the taste of alcohol was not as strong as with Samael’s Oak Aged Ale.

“Hey are you leaving?” asked a guy wearing a Rahr and Sons t-shirt.

“Not really,” I replied hesitantly.

“I have a card with a couple beers left, here you go,” he said as he handed me a BeerFeast Card with two unmarked beers.

“Thank you, bro,” I said as he walked away towards the exit.

“All right everyone last call!” announce one of the manager’s form the stand where the rare beers had been served.

I rushed over towards the beer tent and tried an extra couple of beers before the Goddesses were forced to stop serving beer. Police officers began to clear the street and ask BeerFeast patrons to head back into the patio area or inside the bar. The whole time I hoped to get drunk but without a proper German beer stein it was impossible. Specially while being forced to sample beer using a 3oz beer shooter.

Shortly after the event was over at 7pm and by the time the sun was down, there was no public drunkenness, no puddles of puke all over the street.  The closest to seeing shameless public intoxication was when a man dropped his BeerFeast collectible beer sampler. There was only one girl dressed as a beer maid, and she wasn’t serving drinks, and I never saw a man wearing lederhosen.  Out of the 60 different beers there was only one from Germany, several were from Belgium, but most of them where American. Since I was young American media had built up a traditionally German event as a festival filled with drunken women serving 32oz of beers that pour from giant wooden barrels. Movies like Beerfest and European Vacation had thought me that Oktoberfest was a festival filled with drunken women, large wooden barrels filled with beer, and polka bands playing the chicken dance.

This wasn’t the Oktoberfest Americans have built in their media, but this was a truly American event. I met people from Oklahoma and Louisiana. I drank beers from California, Washington, and Colorado. Strangers came up to me asked about the beer samples I had. I was able to describe in detail what kind of beer I was drinking and what was unique about it. I understood that beer wasn’t the reason why festivals like BeerFeast existed. Beer was the excuse and the festivals were a way of bringing communities together.

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

I would like some input on the progression of the story. Is there a clear purpose? and is there a change for the character from the beginning? Any feedback good or bad is welcomed.